Did you ever contact GOG support about the issue? I'm just asking because I've reported a lot of outdated offline installers and they always fixed it.

Not sure if it is easy for you but you could use Inno Setup to create your own offline installers.

Various ways you could do it:-

1. Learn how to use InnoSetup (what GOG use).

2. Create a self-extracting zip / .7z / .rar files using 7zip / WinRAR.

- As for registry entries, all GOG installers write Galaxy metadata registry entries usually under HKLM\SOFTWARE\GOG.com\Games\xxxxxxxxxx but most games don't need that stuff to run, it's just Galaxy junk metadata. Unity Engine games store resolution settings data under HKCU\Software\nameofgame but you don't need to manually add these, they auto-create them themselves on first run.

- A few games do need the registry. Eg, Oblivion and Fallout 3 "Play" will be greyed out in their startup launchers if it can't find a certain "Installed Path" registry entry. In these cases if InnoExtract doesn't extract it, then InnoUnp can extract the install_script.iss file from the GOG installer and that contains all the registry entries actually required by the game (that you could save to a .reg file).

- If you're using a HiDPI display with Windows scaling at something other than 100%, then another (optional but useful) one added is HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers HIGHDPIAWARE flag but that's just where Windows stores the info you set when you right-click, Properties, Compatibility, and change scaling to "Application" so, eg, on a 1920x1200 laptop, Windows will run the game "natively" / pixel perfect at that resolution instead of trying to 'help' auto-scale it by 125% (effective 1536x960), 150% (1280x800), etc.

Finally, I keep a list of common Windows dependencies here that's worth backing up.

GOG is well aware of the issue, they just don't care. Support would likely give the usual "We currently have no ETA on a fix. We're sorry" response like with similar issues i've reported in the past.

Much thanks about Inno Setup. I saw that in the thread I linked, but I wanted to get a second opinion in case there are better options. Does the 7zip/WinRAR method also get the registry entries backed up? If not, then I guess InnoSetup would be my best option. I'll have look at it and try it sometime. Much thanks. It's a shame we have to now resort to this because gog has started to check out on keeping their offline installers updated.

If you save the entries as a .reg file inside the game folder and back that up, it'll include it. Self-extracting the .exe won't auto-import thoe registry entries though it's as simple as double-clicking on the .reg file. Alternatively, you could save the game folder as a .7zip / RAR file and use an install.bat batch file sitting in the same folder to auto-extract, then auto-add registry entries (using the REG ADD) command. Example for Oblivion:-

"C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe" x "%~dp0Oblivion.7z" -o"C:\GOG Games\Oblivion" -r

REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion" /v "Installed Path" /t REG_SZ /d "C:\GOG Games\Oblivion/" /f

^ 1st line would auto-unzip the Oblivion.7z (in same folder as batch file) to C:\GOG Games\Oblivion, 2nd line would add the specific registry entry required by the game. Let me know if you need any help as those of us who own a lot of old disc games (not available digitally anywhere) do this stuff anyway to have a "digital" backup of them in case the disc fails, and I've got this stuff fine tuned enough to be able to batch install several hundred games with a double click if necessary.

InnoSetup seems way over my head, and i'm afraid of messing something up using it.

Is there a way to copy/paste registry entries, or do I have to create them from scratch?

They should be stored in install_script.iss (a hidden script (text) file inside the GOG installers that isn't usually visible) but as mentioned in post 3, you can use Innounp to extract it and open it in Notepad). You might be able to copy it from there.

I might be wrong but you could copy the path from regedit and change as needed. That's if the game is already installed.

So basically you want to install with Galaxy for some games, to get the latest update included.
Then you want to create an installer from the game folder.

I'd use 7-Zip as recommended by others, creating a self extracting EXE file, and depending on the size of the game, maybe some additional linked files.

That's all quite easy to do, with the only issue being the possibility of dependencies outside the install folder, and as suggested usually just Registry entries.

To get that Registry data, would require getting the EXE file of the Offline Installers, and then extract that ISS file from that, using INNOUP as suggested or maybe even InnoExtract. I'd do that first, and then just put that ISS file inside your game folder, before zipping it. I'd only worry about the content of that ISS file, when you later go to install the game, and you discover an issue. Easier at that point to then just manually create the needed Registry entries. Of course, you have to remember you can do that.

I was replacing all the GOG installers with custom ones which cut out all of the Galaxy bloat and ended up giving up because of the registry entries that certain games need, that I couldn't find.

I've just taken another look at one of the games Alone in the Dark 4 and the iss only seems to list the registry entries that the installer creates under the HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\GOG.com\Games section, the installer also creates one located under Infogrames\Alone in the Dark with the install folder location in which was not listed in the iss file.

Adding both of them to the registry (after editing paths) the game still wouldn't launch, so i'm not sure where the game reads the location of alone4.exe (which is what it is complaining about.)

It would be nice if GOG added them like they have done for some of their games as a batch file or something.

Creating your own offline installer for a GOG game can be tricky but doable. You'll need a few tools to package everything neatly. As for Windows registry issues, it's possible but usually not a big problem if you do it right.

One workaround for detecting unknown registry entries is to use RegistryChangesView (take a 'before' snapshot, install the game, take an 'after' snapshot, then compare). That should detect everything.

Yep, one of the issues with what I call DRM-Free Lite.

You might solve that specific issue, by doing a search of the Registry, for the game executable, when your game is first installed, before zipping or backing the game install folder up. That might have been enough in your specific instance.

I started doing DRM-Free Lite backups of the Epic and Steam games that were listed as DRM-Free, but haven't done any in a long time now ... too much effort ... and that was without chasing up registry entries, which would be even more effort. Hell, I even created a program to make it easier for me, but it is still a lot of effort.

Thanks for the suggestion. Just tried it and eventually found what I was looking for for some reason the game reads alone4.exe's location from an empty uninstall string in Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall so it now works fine and I can save them as a reg file. So thanks, and now on to the next game.

To be fair to GOG or any game store there isn't much they can do if a game needs a certain registry entry though they could make it easier and do what GOG did with Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine and a few other games and have a regs file there that you can just run and it adds the needed registry entries.

Sorry for the double post.

I build my own inno installers, now I don't know how to use the inno setup thing the other users mentioned so I add an UI to it using Script Studio (it will add a wizard to it and guide you through it) though it still needs inno setup installed to work.

You can get them from here:

https://jrsoftware.org/isdl.php

https://www.kymoto.org/products/inno-script-studio

And to sum it up its worth bulding your own as taking A Plague Tale Innocence for example (no registry entries needed) with the DLC deafult GOG installers are 35.4GB in total my installers also with the DLC but built in are 31.0GB and thats just from deleted Galaxy related files, I do use the default compression on it which GOG don't and 2GB per file so I get more files but the less size for me is worth it alone.

Edit: And yes you will with certain titles most don't need any registry entries at all only for the uninstall (but if they are not creating any then you dont need to uninstall a game just delete the folder and any shortcuts.) The only real way is to install a game copy the games install folder elsewhere and uninstall it or use innoextract and try to launch it, if it doesn't launch then it will either need a third party patch or registry entries so a search on the GOG forums or PCGamingWiki or search engine.